Illuminating device for keyholes.



' J. n. HARDIN & J. B. DE SAUSSURE.

ILLUMINATI NG DEVICE FOR KEYHOLES.

APPLIOTION FILED OUT. 2, 1908.

=41,576. Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

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i I; o mwntoq Y a mam W- I %43 1/ I -ffW g I V UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICE.

JOHN DELKER H ARDIN AND JOHN BOONE IDE SAU'SSURE, GH ATTANOOGA,

, TENNESSEE.

ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR KE YHOLES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1909.

' To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN DELKER HARDIN and J oHN BOONE DE SAUSSURE,citizens of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county ofHamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and usefulIlluminating Device for Keyholes, of which the following is aspecification. I 1

This invention has reference to improvements in illuminating devices forkeyholes whereby the keyhole may be made Visible at night by a personwishing to insert a key therein, and may further be utilized as aburglar alarm by suitable additional conductors and a switch so thatwhen the switch is closed the burglar alarm will be actuated on theattempt to either pick the lock or to insert a key therein.

In accordance with the present invention the outside knob of the door iscut away on the side adjacent to the door and at the lower portionthereof and an electric lam is housed in the knob so that when the lampis lighted the light is thrown downward toward the keyhole andilluminates the same in such manner as to make it clearly visible to aperson desiring to insert a key therein. Furthermore the knob or theouter portion thereof, may be made transparent or translucent and thenumber of the dwelling or apartment may be displayed thereon so as tobecome visible when the electric lamp is placed in circuit and suppliedwith current. In accordance with the present invention provision is madefor the temporary inclusion of the lamp in an electric circuit capableof causing the lamp to display light and this circuit may be either acircult individual to the lamp or the circuit may be branched off fromthe bell ringing circuit usually provided indwelling houses orapartments.

The invention will be best understood from a consideration of thefollowing detail description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings with the understanding however that the invention is notconfined to the exact details-of construction shown in the drawings northe exact location of parts, since the invention is capable of variousmodifications "and uses in other con-- nections than those shown.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a section through a portion of a door lockand the knob thereof, with parts shown in elevation and with theinvention attached thereto.

Fig. 2 is a view of a door partly opened and displaying the electriccircuit diagrammatically.

Referring to the drawings there is shown a door 1 and a portion of adoor lock 2, the lock in the particular instance shown being of the typeknown as a mortise look but the invention is not at all confined to anytype of lock.

v The door knobs are shown at 3 and 4, the knob 3 being of ordinary typeand the knob 4 being modified as hereinafter'described for the purposesof the present invention. The knobs are secured to a knob spindle 5 bymeans of the usual screw 6 except that in the case of the spindle of theknob 4 the screw is electrically insulated from the spindle bya sleeve 7of insulating material, and the knob shank 8 is internally enlargedandinsulated from the spindle 5 by a sleeve 9 of insulating materia Thedoor is bored out as shown at 10 for the reception of the flange end 11of a sleeve 12 of insulating material surrounding the knob spindle 5.Between the flange 11 and the casing of the lock 2 the knob spindle 5 issurrounded by a helical spring 13 tending to force the sleeve 12 awayfrom the lock casing.

On each side of the door are located the usual face plates 14 and 15each provided with a projecting flange or collar for the reception ofthe respective shanks of the knobs. The shank 17 of the knob 3 entersthe sleeve or collar 16 in the usual manner, but the shank 8 of the knob4 is purposely made at its inner end of too great a diameter to enterthe sleeve or collar 16 and is held away therefrom by the end of thesleeve 12 which is long enough to force the knob spindle 8 a shortdistance away from said sleeve. However when the knobs and spindle areforced in a direction against the actlon of the spr' 13 the shank 8 isbrought into contact with the sleeve or collar 16 on the face plate 15and as the parts are made of metal this contact is an electricalcontact.

The outer portion of the knob4 is shown as made in the form of a ring 18whlch may be screwed on the other portion of the knob and in thearticular construction shown carries a lenticular member 19 oftransparent or translucent material and on the member 19 there may bedisplayed a number or other indication shown at 20 in Fig. 2. The ring18 is screwed on to the main portlon of the knob so that access to theinterior of the knob may bereadily had. It will be understood,however,that the outer portion of the knob may be made to conform to anystyle or shape desired. The rear portion of the main part of-the knob iscut away as shown at 21 ina direction toward the keyhole 22 and the mainportion of the knob adjacent tothe cut away 'ortion and in line with thespindle'is formed into a socket for the reception of the base 23 of anincandescent electric lamp 24. This lamp because of its use may be ofthe miniature type althou h of,

course not confined'thereto but it is in practice that a miniature lampwill give ample light for the purposes of the present invention. Thislamp is readily accessible for cleaning or renewalby the unscrewing ofthe ring 18 from the main portion of the ound knob, in the particularstructure shown or the disengagement of-a removable portion of the knobin other types than the one illustrated. The circuit through the lamp isby way of the knob on the one side and the central terminal of the lampand spindle 5 on the other side. C

Electric current is carried to the lamp by means of conductors 25 and26, the conductor 25' connecting to the face plate 14 and the conductor26 to the face plate 15. As; suming that the conductors 25 and 26 areconnected to a suitable source of electric current then the circuit maybe traced from the conductor 25 to the face plate 14 thence to the knobshank 17 and spindle 5 and by way of the latter to the lamp 24,returning by the knob spindle 8 and sleeve or collar 16 when the spindleis in contact therewith and thence by the face plate-15 to the conductor.26. In order to cause the lamp to give light it is necessary to forcethe knob 4 in a direction toward the other knob in order to bring thespindle 8 into contact with the collar or sleeve 16, of the face plate15, thus compressing thesp 13.. When the lam is energized then thh lighttherefrom ha s free escape through the opening 21 toward the keyhole andamply illuminates the latter. At the same time if a number or otherindication be displayed upon the member. 19 then this also becomesvisible. As soon as pressure is released from the knob the spring 13returns the parts to their normalposition and the circuit to the lampis' broken and the lamp ceases to display light. In this manner thesource of current is not exhausted.

In Fig. 2 the conductors 25 and 26 are shown as connected to contactplates 27 and 28 respectively on the top of the door 1 and on the doorcasing are-other contacts 29 and 30 the latter branched off from thelead 31 coming from a battery or other-source of electric currentindicated at 33. Inthe present instance the lead 31 is connected to aeasy reach of the operator, and another conductor 36 extends from thepush button to the bell. There is also provided a two-point switch, oneterminal 37 of which is connected by a conductor 38 to the conductor 36,and the other terminal 39 of which is connected by a conductor 40 to thelead or conductor 32. The switch arm 41 is connected by a conductor 42to the contact plate 29. When the switch arm 41 is on the terminal 37,then the bell is in circuit with the door carried mechanism and anyattempt to insert a key in the door lock from the outside, or theintroduction of lock-picking means causes the closure of the bellcircuit through the lock structure, When the switch arm 41 is on theterminal 39, then the bell is cut out of the alarm circuit, but thebattery is in the door circuit sothat the lamp receives current when theknob is pushed in as before described.

The operation of the bell as a signal or ation of the lamp: nor does thelamp interfere with the operation of the bell since, under suchcircumstances, the two are in multiple arc relation to one another andboth are fed from the same source of current. Of course it is evidentthat the lamp may be charged from a separate source of current eithercarried by the door or coupled up to the door when the same is closedand cut out from the source of current when the door is open the same asshown in Fig. 2. It is also possible to cause the lighting up of thelamp by the closure of the circuit by a proper manipulation of theinside knob 3, the knob 4 being considered as the outside knob, since itis only necessary to pull the knob 3 in a direction away from the doorin order to compress the spring 13 and bring the knob spindle 8 intoelectrical connection with the sleeve 16 of the face plate 15.

The invention is applicable to the front doors of dwelling houses or theentrance doors of apartments in apartment houses, or in fact it ma beused wherever it is desirable to illuminate the keyhole, or. for use asa-burglar alarm.

What is claimed is 1. In a device of the character described, a doorknob having a light transmitting portion and movable in the direction ofthe length of the knob spindle, means interior to the knob for producin1i ht and means controlled by the longitu ina movement of the knob forcontrolling said light producing means.

2. In a device of the character described, a door knob capable oflongitudinal movement, a charged electric circuit, circuit terminalscontrolled by the longitudinal movement of the knob, and an electriclamp interior to the knob, the said knob having thus giving an alarm.

light.

a passage therethrough for the escape of 3. In a device of the characterdescribed, a door knob having a passage therethrough on the side towardthe door and capable of longitudinal -movement with relation to thedoor, a spring for maintaining the knob in its outermost position,circuit terminals controlled by the knob and closed when the knob ismoved to its innermost position, and an electric lamphoused in the knoband included in the electric circuit.

4.- In a device of the character described, a knob spindle-movablelongitudinally, door knobs secured thereto and one of the knobs beinginsulated from the spindle and provided with an opening on the sidetoward the door, an electric circuit including the knob spindle andhaving a circuit terminal adjacent to the insulated knob, a spring formaintaining the knob spindle in a position to hold the circuit terminalsapart, and an electric lamp housed in the-insulated knob.

5. In a device of the character described,

a knob spindle capable of longitudinal movement, knobs thereon, one ofthe knobs being insulated from the spindle and provided with an openingtoward thedoor and with an outer light transmitting member removablefrom the main portion of the knob, a spring for maintaining the knobspindle in one direction of its movement, electric circuit terminalsadapted to be brought together when the knob spindle is moved in theother direction of its movement and against theaction of the spring, andan electric lamp housed in the insulated knob.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own, we have heretoafiixed our signatures in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN DELKER -HARDIN. JOHN BOONE DE SAUSSURE.

VVit-nesses:

J. H. SPRINGFIELD, P. D. AKIN.

